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w. M. McEWElL CON ACT MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY SlGNAL SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION men mags. 1911.. I 1,304,338. Patented May 20, 1919.

I 1 jmzivzfvi" m hiz ih/ with electrical signal systems for railways WILLARD M..McEWEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONTACT MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919.

Application filed August 25, 1917,. Serial No. 188,112.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD M. MGEWEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook,

and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Contact Mechanisms for Railway Signal Systems, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form of contact mechanism for use in closing electrical circuits for railway signal systems; to provide an improved construction and arrangement of the contact members whereby they are protected against being rendered inoperative by reason of any unfavorable weather conditions; and to provide contact mechanism of this kind which is simple in construction and positive in operation.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawin s, wherein:

igure 1 is a view somewhat diagrammatic illustrating the arrangement of coacting contact members and their relative positions with regard to the train and the track.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the contact member which is usually mounted on the vehicle.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of on of the contact members, a plurality of which are arranged at intervals along the track.

Fig. 4: is a transverse sectional view taken on a line H of Fig. 3.

The contact mechanism herein shown and described is particularly designed for use where the track is divided into blocks, and where signaling or controlling devices are arranged in the engine cab, and controlled by the opening and closing of the electrical circuits.

In the construction shown in the drawings,

the contact mechanism comprises a plurality of contact members 1 arranged at intervals.

along the track, and a contact member 2 attached to the vehicle, which travels on the track, in such a position that it may engage the members 1 for the purpose of completing an electrical circuit. The contact memhere are particularly designed so as to be arranged overhead, which obviously removes them from the danger of bein rendered in operative through the accumu ation of snow as is the case with contact mechanism arranged on or near the ground.

The contact member 1 is in the form of an elongated plate preferably of arcuate cross section, which is adapted to be suspended from the bracket 3 above and at one side of the rails 4 with the concave part thereof facing downwardly. A lug 5 is formed on the member 1 to which the bracket is attached. The member 1 is rigidly held in position by means of braces 6, the outer ends of which are attached to lugs 7 formed on the member 1 and the inner ends of which are secured at 8 to the brace 3. The ends of the member 1 are turned upwardly so as to provide an inclined approach for the member 2.

The contact member 2 comprises an arm 9 pivotally mounted at 10 on a bracket 11 and having rollers 12 and 13 carried on the upwardly extending ends 14 and 15 respectively, and adapted to engage the under side or concave face of the contact member 1. The end 15 of the arm 9 is arranged so that the roller 13 is normally held at an elevation above that of the roller 12, so as to locate the roller 12 out of position to engage the contact member 1 and thereby allow for the arrangement of a housing surrounding said roller which is adapted to be shifted into or out of position to surround the same, depending upon the position of the roller 13.

The housing herein shown is in the form of a canopy 16 pivoted at 17 on the bracket 11 on an axis parallel to the pivot 10 of the arm 9, so that said canopy is adapted to swing in the plane of said arm. The canopy 16 is provided with a forwardly extending finger 18 between which and the bracket 11 a spring 19 is connected for normally .urging the canopy 16 forward into a position surrounding the roller 12. A pin or shoulder 20 is formed on the arm 9, so as to engage the under side of the finger 18 whereby the 'upward shifting of the rearward end of the arm 9 will" act on the finger 18 and tilt the canopy 16 rearwardly as the roller 12 is caused to move upwardly. The canopy 16, being thus normally held in position around the roller 12, protects it against the weather and prevents the accumulation of sleet or snow thereon, which under extreme weather conditions might otherwise insulate an exposed roller.

The bracket 11 has the lower end thereof aranged so that it may be attached to the side of the vehicle 21 near the top thereof in position to dispose the rollers 12 and 13 in the path of the members 1. The construction and shape of the bracket 3 depend somewhat upon the object to which it is to be attached. In the construction herein shown, the bracket has the lower end thereof shaped to allow it to be attached to the side of a signal post 22, such as is commonly in use along most of the railroads.

Suitable electric connections are made between the contact member 2 and the signal or controlling means (not shown) arranged on the vehicle 21, and likewise for connecting the contact member 1 with the rails 4, in a manner which is well known to those familiar with railroad signal systems.

The operation of the device herein shown and described is as follows:

Normally, the parts of the contact member 2 occupy the positions indicated in full outline in Fig. 2, the roller 12 being inclosed so as to obviate the possibility of the accumulation of sleet or snow thereon. As the vehicle moves along the rail, the roller 13 approaches and engages the inclined end of the contact member 1, whereupon it is depressed so that the rear end of the arm 9 is shifted upwardly. The upward shifting of the arm 9 causes the shoulders 17 and 18 to act to re tract the canopy 16 and permit the roller 12 to move up into a position to engage with the under face of the member 1.

If the roller 13 is not insulated from the arm 9, the circuit will be completed immediately upon the engagement of the roller 13 with the member 1. If, however, the roller 13 is insulated, either permanently or through the accumulation of sleet or snow, and the circuit is thereby not completed through the engagement of the roller 13 with the member 1, the engagement of the roller 12 with the member 1 insures the completion of the circuit.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In contact mechanism of the class described, the combination of a pair ofcoacting contact members, one of which is arranged at the side of the rails and the other mounted on a vehicle adapted for travel on the rails, one of said contact members comprising a bracket, a contact device shiftably mounted on said bracket and normally retracted from a position to engage said other contact member, operating means connected to said contact device and normally urged into position to engage said other member whereby the engagement of said means with said other contact member will cause said contact device to be shifted into a position to engage said other contact member, and a housing member adapted to protect said contact device and connected to said operating means so as to be shifted out of and into a position for protecting said contact device simultaneously with the shifting of said contact device into and out of position to engage said other contact member.

2. In contact mechanism of the class described, the combination of a pair of coacting contact members, one of which is arranged at the side of the rails and the other mounted on a vehicle adapted for travel on the rails, one of said contact members comprising a bracket, an arm pivotally mounted on said bracket, a contact device carried on one end of said arm and normally urged out of position to engage said other contact member, operating means on the one end of said arm normally urged into position to engage said other contact member and adapted to cause said arm to shift said contact device into a position to engage said other contact member, and a housing member shiftably mounted on said bracket and connected to said arm whereby said housing member is adapted to be shifted out of position to protect said contact device when said operating means actuates said arm to shift said contact device into a position to engage said contact member.

3. In contact mechanism of the class described, the combination of a pair of coacting contact members, one of which is arranged at the side of the rails, and the other mounted on a vehicle adapted for travel on the rails, one of said contact members comprising a bracket, an arm having upwardly extending ends pivoted on said bracket intermediate said ends, a roller carried by each of said upwardly extending ends, means normally urging said arm into a position whereby one of said rollers is retracted from the path of said other contact member and the other roller is urged into the path of said other contact member, said second roller be ing adapted when engaged by said second contact member to shift said first mentioned roller into a position to engage said second contact member, a housing member pivotally mounted on said bracket and normally urged into position to surround said one roller, and coacting shoulders on said housing member and said arm adapted to cause the retraction of said housing member when said arm is shifted to move said one roller into position to engage with said other contact member.

4.. In contact mechanism of the class described, the combination of a pair of coacting contact members, one of which is arranged at the side of the rails, and the other mounted on a vehicle adapted for travel on the rails, one of said contact members comprising a bracket, an arm having upwardly extending ends pivoted on said bracket intermediate said ends, a roller carried by each of said upwardly extending ends, means normally urging said arms into a position whereby one of said rollers is retracted from the path of said other contact member and the other roller is urged into the path of said other contact member, said second roller being adapted when engaged by said second contact member to shift said first mentioned roller into a position to engage said second contact member, a housing member pivotally mounted on said bracket so as to move in the plane of said arm and normally urged into position to surround said one roller, and coacting shoulders on said housing member and said arm adapted to cause the retraction of said housing member when said arm is shifted to move said one roller into posiigion to engage with said other contact mem- Signed at Chicago this 23rd day of August, 1917.

WILLARD M. MoEVVE-N.

topics of this pstent my be obtained for in cents essh, by dressing the "commissioner of Pstents,

Wsshlngton, D. 0. 

